Songkran Pattaya 2017

Thailand’s New Year celebration is quickly approaching. The celebration has changed slightly throughout the years however. Traditional Songkran was celebrated by family members who would sprinkle a little bit of water on their elder family members for good fortune and luck. Today in many cities, Songkran has gone from the little sprinkling of water amongst friends, to an all-out water war throughout the big cities.

Songkran is not for everyone as there is no “Time Out” button. If you go outside during Songkran, you are 100% guaranteed to get soaked. There is no such thing as “not playing”, everyone participates (willingly or unwillingly). It is for this reason that many of the older expats who reside in Thailand will grab plane tickets to drier climates while the rest of the world buys plane tickets for Thailand.

The Songkran festival continues over a 3-day period from the 13th to the 15th of April every year. It is not advisable to ride your motorbike around the city during the festival. Riders who do decide to ride should ensure that they are driving well below the normal level of speed and if a group of people wants you to stop so that they can get you wet, the best thing to do is pull over to the side of the road, get wet, and continue on. It is not uncommon to see people hurtling 5-gallon buckets of water at motorbikes driving by.

Traffic throughout the cities will be heavy during the festival. Many Thais work in different cities than where they call home and being that Songkran is traditionally about family for the Thai people. It is the one time of year when many take a break from their work and life to go home to visit their families.

If you are headed to Thailand for Songkran this year, here are a few tips we have picked up over the last few years: Ziploc bags are your friend during Songkran. Every corner and convenience store will be selling them or giving them away with purchases, so make sure you grab a few to keep those personal electronics safe and dry. If your phone gets wet on Songkran, nobody to blame but yourself.

SLOW DOWN! Every year Thailand sees a large number of road deaths during the Songkran festival celebrations. Slow down when you are driving, or choose to walk during the celebration. Bright colors and/or floral wear are all the rage during Songkran.

Most of the Thai people will be decked out in button up summer style floral shirts during the celebration. Songkran clothing will begin going on sale about a week before the celebration begins.

Water isn’t the only thing that will get on your clothing during Songkran.

Thais have a very old tradition in which they rub a powdery mud on the faces and necks of other to ward off evil spirits and/or protect you and is a very old tradition in Thailand.

Songkran in Thailand is really what you make of it. You can decide to have fun and join the hundreds of thousands of people on the street playing in the water, or you can choose to be one of the people that get angry when someone throws a little water on them. Ultimately the choice is yours.

The only guarantee on Songkran is that it is going to be a wet few days. With the passing of Thailand’s great King in October of 2016, it remains to be seen if there will be any changes to the normal customary celebrations seen throughout Thailand.

Grab your swim trunks, a plane ticket and a super soaker and join us in Pattaya for Songkran 2017.

VIDEO : Check out the videos for Songkran celebrations in Pattaya

SONGKRANG EVENT 2017

Are you ready for a splashtastic Songkran concert with very special artists and DJs at Ramayana – biggest and TripAdvisor top rated water park in Thailand?!Songkran festival 2017 is coming and on 15 of April we are going to make a super splash with Getsuonva, Burin and many other special guests! Love Pattaya Thailand an official sponsor of this huge event would like to offer all members/readers a special premium offer.

BLOGGERS

If you are here on holiday or planning on a visit, we can help you to find the right hotel and pass on details about all the must see destinations. If you are looking to envelope yourself in the culture, participate in water sports or golf, or just take things slower and enjoying the local bar scene, we can point you in the right direction. Our helpful website and team will be on hand to assist you in any way you require.

We update our website daily with all the latest news and events so make sure that you bookmark us so you don’t miss out. Our aim is to provide expats and tourists with all the information that they need to live life to the max!